DECLAWING AND NEWLY QUALIFIED YOUNG VETS

‘Declawing of domestic cats should be considered only after attempts have been made to prevent the cat from using its claws destructively or when its clawing presents a zoonotic risk for its owner(s.The AVMA believes it is the obligation of veterinarians to provide cat owners with complete education with regard to feline onychectomy’

This invites the question:

If declawing is only supposed to be done on cats after attempts to stop the cat using his claws destructively, why is it acceptable to declaw young kittens as soon as they reach 2lbs in weight?

At that age there is no way anyone has attempted to teach him that furniture and carpets are not for his use.

Poster by Ruth AKA Kattaddorra. Please click on the poster to see a very large format version

Even waiting until the kitten is old enough for neutering and having him declawed at the same time hasn’t given him the chance to be taught to use his scratching post.

I suspect that people who plan to have their kitten declawed don’t even bother buying a scratching post let alone encourage him to use it.

Maybe they don’t like the fact that kittens have sharp little claws, well of course they have and it’s the ideal time to get him used to having his claws trimmed.

This is part of the oath newly qualified veterinarians swear upon their graduation:

‘I solemnly swear to use my scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of society through the protection of animal health and welfare, the prevention and relief of animal suffering’

The question this time is:

Why do vets who declaw break their oath? They are not protecting animal health and welfare and far from preventing suffering they are actually causing it!

They disable kittens and cats by the amputation of their last toe joints and put the animals at risk of many mental or physical complications for their entire lifetime!

Also there is no benefit to society by misleading cat caretakers into thinking that declawed cats are more desirable.

Thankfully the tide seems to be turning because as well as vet techs speaking out now about the true horror of declawing, some newly qualified young vets are not happy about breaking their oath.

Yes the young vet in the poster above who quits on her first day is fictitious, but I have read on the internet that young vets are more inclined to refuse to perform this major surgery on kittens and cats, some refusing to work for vets who declaw.

Good on them!

I think many young people now are more compassionate and realise the world is moving on and that animals feel pain and distress and are not possessions to be adapted or used.

I have a friend whose daughter, along with the other students in her class, was asked in her final year at university studying toxicology, if she would rather move on to experimenting on animals or to cell research.

She and every other student chose the cell research!

Using animals is becoming a thing of the past thank goodness and so must declawing.

We have hope in these new young vets coming along and refusing to do it and in the brave vet techs, some who have lost or quit their jobs through it, continuing to speak out and to educate people that declawing is cruel and unnecessary.

Comments for DECLAWING AND NEWLY QUALIFIED YOUNG VETS

Very good blog and pictures man I wish the day would come when all vets get themselves a conscience that tells them axing cats toes off is a cruel thing to do. Its gone on too long now and I dont see how anyone can want it done to their cat anyway. Why do they get cats if they dont like their claws. I hope young vets are kinder because when the older vets get enough ill gotten gains to retire on so many cats wont end up crippled for life by the rotters. Ed

May 24, 2012

Not enoughNEWby: Jane A

Great poster Ruth. I saw somewhere too that newly qualified vets are more likely not to want to declaw cats. I hope it’s right! How many will stick to their principles when a wage packet is at stake? With some vet techs turning against employers who declaw it does give us a bit of hope. But it’s not enough while so many older vets are still reaping the dollars in by their cruel surgery. One day it will end but not soon enough for the thousands of cats being put through this hell.

May 23, 2012

A thing of the pastby: Leah, England (Where we don’t de-claw)

I hope with all my heart that the tide is turning as you say and de-clawing will eventually be written to the history books.

A brilliant article, Ruth; as always your poster says it all.

May 23, 2012

I agreeby: Mrs M

Another great poster which says it all and the article is a bonus. I do agree that young people now are more likely to think kindly about animals. What makes me think this is that most of the vet techs coming forward against declawing now are young women. With more female vets than ever coming along maybe the tide is turning against the older set in their ways declawing male vets. Not all male vets declaw of course and some female ones do declaw. Myself I can’t undestand how any vet of either sex can break their oath and deliberately cause cats to suffer. How do they sleep at night?

May 23, 2012

Badby: Michael

Thanks for another great poster and article, Ruth.

There must be a lot of smart people who go to vet school and who don’t like declawing. They must at least question it and the morality of it. If not they are not thinking vets but robots.

They must have compromised their ethics during training either at school or as Ruth says in the early days of working at a vet’s clinic.

Very few do what Ruth’s poster shows – get out and go to a clinic where declawing is not practiced. If more young, newly qualified vets did insist on working for a vet who did not declaw it would be wonderful for cats.

Somewhere down the line, young vets seem to lose that desire to do what is right for the cat.

I presume that newly qualified vets have to swear the oath. Or do they? May be they don’t swear it in a formal ceremony. If that is case, they should!

May 23, 2012

Hope for the futureby: Barbara

This gives me a bit of hope that eventually all the unfeeling, uncaring,unethical, money grubbing US and Canadian vets who declaw cats for large sums of money will retire and maybe a new generation of vets will come along who see declawing for what it is – inhumane, unnecessary and shunned by the civilised world!Even after all this time I still can’t understand why anyone would want to hurt and disable a cat as part of their daily work. Great poster and words as always Ruth, you do so much to help educate against declawing.

Please comment here using either Facebook or WordPress (when available).

Hi, I am 70-years-of-age at 2019. For 14 years before I retired at 57, I worked as a solicitor in general law specialising in family law. Before that I worked in a number of different jobs including professional photography. I have a longstanding girlfriend, Michelle. We like to walk in Richmond Park which is near my home because I love nature and the landscape (as well as cats and all animals).

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